Silicon Valley SBDC

Communication academy

Communication Academy offers year-round, after-school enrichment classes and camps to students from grades K-12. They were the first to offer Public Speaking courses in Cupertino, CA, and have since expanded to offer Debate, Reading/Writing, and Math curriculum, servicing a clientele in Silicon Valley and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

THE CHALLENGES

Jackson Chow came to Silicon Valley SBDC to get help in retooling their business plan and market strategies, along with getting guidance in recruiting instructors on board to serve returned and new customers post-pandemic. The Pandemic in March 2020 had led the client to pivot his business completely online, forgoing in-person classes overnight, and closing their physical location because they lost customers and could not continue to pay rent.

In Fall 2022, parents finally started to look for in-person enrichment classes for their children, and the client saw an opportunity to move back into in-person classes again.

THE RESULTS

With the help of the Silicon Valley Small Business Development Center (SV-SBDC) to provide guidance on how to transition his business from online to in-person, and dial up on his marketing efforts to create awareness of their upcoming class sessions while attracting instructors. Jenny Huang, SV-SBDC Advisor, helped the client prioritize his goals and keep him focused on resolving issues that will bring immediate impact in reviving his business. The client was also connected to work with SV-SBDC HR advisor, Melissa Sanchez, to understand hiring compliance, identify recruitment strategies, fine-tune job descriptions, and interview questions for new hires. Revenue increased by 129%.

CLIENT’S TESTIMONIAL

“As a result of the updated marketing strategies and successfully recruiting new instructors, our business blossomed starting in Fall 2022, and our revenue went up by 129%! Without the help of Jenny Huang and Melissa Sanchez of the Silicon Valley (SV) SBDC, we know that we couldn’t have achieved this amazing financial result. My hearty thank-you to the SV SBDC team for being a lifesaver in our business!”  

-Jackson Chow, Owner, Communication Academy